Colorado River Day 1

July 5, 2008



Sue and I hurried around this morning with last minute packing and getting ready for our river trip. We stopped at a Kinko/Fed Ex Store to drop off a package that needed to get to the office in Manassas. After that we dropped Pooh Bear off at his Kennel and headed for the airport. I had taken the car off the tow dolly and we parked in the long term parking. We both were wearing the Arizona River Rafters tee shirts so the guide spotted us just after arriving at the airport. we joined our group of about 26 rafters and headed out. We were bussed to the airport for general aviation north of the city and checked in. This check in included having each person step on the scales as well as weighing the luggage. They arrange the weight load evenly on these little puddle jumpers in the effort to make a safer ride. We were sent on the last flight of the group with 5 others from our group. It was a very bumpy ride, with severe and rapid altitude drops. We were told that the hot temperatures were causing updrafting thermals off the mountains. The two teenagers on the flight were having a blast, screaming and holding their hands in the air as though on a roller coaster. Sue was nervous and shaking, but I am the one that lost it...twice...and with a leaky "sick sack"! Not fun!



We arrived at the Bar 10 Ranch, landing on a "grass" strip. We were both relieved to put our feet on solid ground. The staff at the Bar 10 Dude Ranch consisted of about 10 very personable,talented and energetic twenty year olds. They took very good care of all of us...cooking, entertaining, cleaning, and telling us about the various "critters" that share the land in these here parts. These included scorpions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, many kinds of bees, coyotes, mountain lions and an occasional bear. That was enough to keep Sue awake most of the night since we slept under the stars with little protection other than the canvas top of the Conestoga Wagon. We did not actually have any visitors of this sort during the entire rafting trip. The staff at the Bar 10 had a day of activities scheduled and we jumped in with gusto. We both rode horses, listened to the cowboy's tall tales, shot "skeet" and eventually laid down on the grass. Grass in this part of the country is a rare and precious commodity. The Bar 10 has a natural spring of pure water that is vary rare in this hot dry desert land. After the brief nap, I felt a little better and Sue and I both rode horses through the outback. I did really well at this. By the grace of God, Sue was spared from a horse that was going a little insane with the loose bridle. Her horse's bridle became loose as they were ascending a small incline. One of the cowboys saw it and told her to jump off of the horse. The horse was calmed down, bridle replaced and Sue finished the trip safely. Our legs were bowed for a while and the later ATV ride did not help this condition.



After a wonderful dinner and socializing with the other rafters, we headed out on an ATV trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Neither of us had ever done anything like this. We each had our own ATV. Sue was in front, right behind the guide's ATV and I was bringing up the rear. We went with a group of about 10 and were well supervised. We had a blast! Sue was standing up when riding the extra rough terrain, to avoid the constant bumps and jolts of the rough terrain. She kept up with the guide very well. The round trip was about 12 miles, taking us to a new viewpoint of the Grand Canyon. We could see extinct volcanoes and the area where the lava flowed millions of years ago.It is amazing that the demarcation lines are still evident after all of this time. This view of the canyon gives a very different perspective than the South Rim. This Natural Wonder morphs into differnt shapes and colors as the angle and time of day alters. It is truly amazing and a wonder of nature. We have heard that the average sightseer to the GC spends about 5 minutes looking and oohing and ahhing and then moves on. Those visitors have no idea what they are missing by spending such a small amount of time there. We have four days of viewing it from all anges on this trip...north, south, above, below and still know there is more to see. We both came back excited at what we had seen and what we had accomplished. It was an empowering and awe-inspiring time. "Life is a daring adventure, or nothing at all." Helen Keller


Half of the rafters were kids 18 and younger. All were with their parents. It was a very family oriented group. We were the only couple without children, but we fit right in and were well received.

After dinner we gathered on a grassy knoll and had a brief introduction of the next day's events plus a "Cowboy Revue" of songs, skits, jokes with audience participation by the Bar 10 staff. They sang the Garth Brooks song, The River, which seemed very appropriate: "I'll sail my vessel til' the river runs dry, like a bird upon the wind these waters are my sky. Don't you sit upon the shoreline and say you're satisfied. Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide." The staff consisted of 4 girls and six guys all of whom were talented musically in addition to all of their other responsibilites. It was a very full half day and we welcomed heading off to rest in the in the Conestoga Wagon. We had been concerned about a staw mattress but we had a thick pad and a sleeping bag in the wagon. Where else could we ever have this kind of day and these kind of experiences ??? What fun this excellent adventure is! Every day includes new opportunites to do things we have never done before and thank the Lord for his provisions to give us the desire and a risk-taking attitude. The Arizona sky at night was so full of stars that it brought back fond memories of the Outer Banks sky at the ocean. It makes such a difference when there are no city lights whatsoever. All electricity is turned off on the Dude Ranch at 10 pm. Tomorrow morning, we head for the Colorado River by riding nose down through the canyon in a helicopter. YeeeHaw !!!